Shockey to Packers?

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is reporting that the Packers are now talking to the Giants about trading for Jeremy Shockey. Shockey has been the subject of trade negotiations between the Giants and the New Orleans Saints. Last night, ESPN’s John Clayton reported that the deal stalled when the Saints balked at giving up the 40th overall pick for Shockey, but that getting it done remained “likely.” Now, Mortensen believes that the Packers have entered the talks.

It’s an interesting development. I like parts of it and strongly dislike parts of it. My big concern is that Shockey is, well, a complete asshole. He’s obnoxious, he talks too much smack, his tattoos are heinous, he says stupid things, and he spends way, way too much time flipping his flowing locks back and stroking his own hair. More than that, though, is the fact that Shockey almost singlehandedly kept Eli Manning from emerging as a team leader over the past couple of years. He screamed for the ball after every other play. When he got hurt, Manning was the man, and the Giants won a Super Bowl without him.

So what would Shockey do to a first-year quarterback trying to replace a first-ballot Hall of Famer? Probably nothing positive. Rodgers will have to win the confidence of his teammates early and Shockey yelling at him for missing him on an underneath route would not help that process.

On the other hand, Shockey is very good. He’s injury-prone but when he’s on the field he is tough to stop. For all of the reasons Andy and Aaron have given for drafting a TE early (still a bad idea, in my view) getting Shockey-level talent for a middle second-round pick would be tempting.

I wouldn’t mind rolling the dice on this if Rodgers already had at least one full year under center. To do it this year though, the overall risk to Rodgers and the team as a whole might outweigh the short/medium term benefit. Plus, there’s the whole “tool’ factor, which he is quite a large one.

I would rather see them draft a TE than pull the trigger on this. There is enough talent in the draft at TE – no need to bring all of the baggage that comes with Shockey. If the draft were weaker at TE, I might see this differently.

But lets all just be glad that the Pack is involved in trade talks. Just more proof that TT understands all aspects of being a GM.

He’s a douchebag, but he can really play when his head is on straight. He reminds me of Romanowski. But I’m not sure having a Romanowski or Shockey level douche on the team is worth even winning a Super Bowl. Crazy guys or flakes are okay in my book, but the selfish boor type, they’re no good no matter how it works out.